Congrats, graduate - good luck finding a job

EMPLOYMENT

Justin Gillett, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

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Brian Heit,, is graduating from San Francisco State, with a criminal justice/ communications degree this spring and is faced with an extremely hard time when it comes to finding a job. Heit , on Tuesday March 31, 2009, works as a youth counselor at the Edgewood Center for Children and Families, in San Francisco, Calif. less

Brian Heit,, is graduating from San Francisco State, with a criminal justice/ communications degree this spring and is faced with an extremely hard time when it comes to finding a job. Heit , on Tuesday March ... more

"It's a scary time to be graduating," Heit said. "I have about $7,500 in student loans, and I have no idea how I'm going to pay it all off."

With the state unemployment rate in double digits and layoffs numbering in the hundreds of thousands, it's a tough time to be looking for a job - especially for people like Heit, one of the nearly 120,000 undergraduates of colleges and universities in California who will receive their bachelor's degrees this spring.

A recent poll by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that 22 percent of college recruiters do not plan to hire any fresh graduates this spring, and 43.6 percent said they'll hire fewer graduates than they did last spring. About 174 businesses responded to the survey, including employers such as Santa Clara technology company Applied Materials Inc., Macy's department store and brokerage firm Edward Jones.

"The current expectations for college hiring are not promising for the class of 2009, and the prospects for the class of 2010 point in the same direction," the report said. "The economic recession that has gripped most of the world for the past year is now thoroughly reflected in college hiring expectations."

The spring 2009 outlook ends a string of positive college hiring reports dating to 2004.

"This is the worst job market we've seen in a while," said Edwin Koc, director of strategic and foundation research for NACE. "The availability of jobs for recent graduates tends to always fluctuate with the national economy, and this current market is clear evidence of that."

"It's a bad time to be looking for a job, regardless of what type of education you have," agreed Karen Humphrey, executive director for the California Postsecondary Education Commission, an independent state agency that maintains data and advises policymakers on college education. "It's pretty clear that students going into the job market right now are faced with a disadvantage."

While hiring expectations are universally poor across the country, they are worse in some regions than others. The number of college students employers expect to hire is down 32 percent in the West from a year ago, compared with 14 percent in the South.

"Students who are graduating this spring are being thrown into a job market that is extremely weak," said Sara Menke, chief executive of Premier Staffing, a San Francisco recruiting firm that frequently helps recent college graduates find employment. "It's a tough year to graduate."

Whatever it takes

Career counselors said the key to finding a job is flexibility.

"If students are serious about landing a job, they need to think about relocating to a different geographical area, working at an entry-level position and earning under $45,000 a year," said Jack Brewer, career center director at San Francisco State. "At this point, we're telling students to grab onto what they can get and hold onto it as long as possible."

"A lot of students want that perfect needle-in-the-haystack job, but with this economy that's just not possible," said Bill Lindstaedt, director of the office of career and professional development at UCSF.

Working at a nonprofit or getting an unpaid internship is also a good idea for recent grads looking to boost a resume that may look drab, said Alex Hochman, assistant director of career services at University of San Francisco.

"The most important thing is to keep busy. Students don't want to have an empty void on their resume after graduation," Hochman said.

But the prospect of working for free does not sit well with students who need cash to live on and repay loans.

"I've done volunteer work in the past, but you can only do that for so long," said Kelly Gordon, who will graduate from San Francisco State in the spring with a psychology degree. "I wouldn't be opposed to getting an internship, but if it's unpaid I think I'd have to get another job."

After graduation, Gordon had hoped to find an entry-level position in a psychiatrist's office, but now she is unsure of her future in the psychiatric field.

"Ideally I'd like to be a family therapist, maybe even open my own practice, but now I don't really think that's an option," Gordon said. For now, she's living with her parents to save money and is looking for a job at drugstores, fast-food restaurants and retailers.

Stay in school

Many students are planning to forestall the inevitable job hunt by going to graduate school.

"I'm going to try and get into grad school; that'll hopefully delay my job search," said Clay Newman, a senior at San Francisco State who plans to pursue a master's degree in theater. "The statistics are definitely better that I'll get a job with a graduate degree."

Newman lives with other students in a house in the Sunset District and says he's fortunate that his parents have helped with tuition costs. He's looking for a temporary retail or service job right now but is finding nothing.

"Some students are starting to ask themselves if they should stay in school to weather the economic storm," said Suzanne Helbig, a career counselor at UC Berkeley. But "prolonging graduation by a year or two may put them in the same situation they're currently in."

Tips for job seekers

Career counselors offer these tips for college graduate job hunters:

-- Take a resume/interview workshop. Know how to shake hands and look someone in the eye.

-- Obtain an internship or work for a nonprofit. Have as much hands-on experience outside of school as possible.

-- Be willing to relocate.

-- Research the companies to which you're applying, so if you get called for an interview you know what you're talking about.

-- Get involved in campus leadership; hold a position at a campus club or organization.

-- Make personal connections and take advantage of your networking system.

Sources: Suzanne Helbig, career counselor at UC Berkeley, and Alex Hochman, assistant director of career services at University of San Francisco

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